Experiments, Punishments, and Rewards
by densekohai
Summary: Medusa had it all. A respected witch, A powerful enemy to the Academy, and now pregnant with a future witch to uphold her legacy. Or so she thought. When the baby is born, everything goes wrong. What will she do with the child now? First-person-perspective of Medusa raising Crona. Also my first fanfiction. R&R, critique, and enjoy! *ON HIATUS*
1. Father

**A/N: Welp, here it is. The first chapter of my first fanfic! This chapter may be a bit short compared to other ones in the future. This one is just a little bit of me getting used to how my ideas are flowing in the story. As such, I'd like to say to you all: Please, please, PLEASE, give me constructive criticism. Right now, I prioritize that over positive comments. (but put some of those in there too though, you know?) Anyways, enough of my rambling. Read and enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: A Father

The notion of having a child couldn't have come soon enough in me. After years of honing my magic and skills in witchcraft, it had me on a whim.

It was at the Witch's Mass. I glanced at one of my fellow witches, who held the cooing bundle in her arms. Walking out, I heard the mother speaking to her child.

Her soothing words of how great and powerful of a witch her daughter would be had the small infant laughing and making sounds of joy. Soon after that, my mind had wandered off into a thought of having my own little daughter that I could raise and teach my ways to.

It was quite satisfying, actually, in fact I found myself daydreaming about it at the oddest times. Over the next few years it came longer, more often. Giving birth to the next Gorgon witch who'd be willing and able to take up her family's heavy legacy. It almost sounded like an honor to me.

So finally I decided it was time. I would give birth to the next witch in the Gorgon bloodline. I would teach her everything I knew. And I most certainly would make sure she'd be the most powerful I could make her.

There was only one problem remaining: How would this be done? I didn't know of any man sufficient enough to even consider being the father of my child. It soon came to my attention that I would have to find one.

I found that the most important thing to find in a suitable man was a weaker soul than mine. The weaker it was, the smaller a chance of my child resembling him. That was crucial. As I wasn't interested in a relationship, I couldn't very well have a child who didn't look a thing like me.

Relationships were a terrible ordeal on their own. I couldn't risk having a man fall for me only to find out my true identity. Perhaps a drunk who wouldn't remember the night would be the way to go? Or could I pose as a prostitute, maybe? Act like it's my job? I wouldn't be questioned then, as well as my Soul Protect would be on the whole time.

I came to a conclusion that I would just have to go out and find these answers for myself.

* * *

Walking down an alleyway in six-inch heels was something I swore to never do again. In fact, walking anywhere in what I was wearing, I considered it to be... undesirable, to say the least.

The cold night air breezed over my skin, which well over half of it was exposed. Still, I took confidence in my strides, while trying to sense any lesser souls in the area.

Of course, this was all too easy, what with the size of my own soul. The real challenge was trying not to draw attention to whoever might give me disapproving looks, or want to have me for the night. I scan the area where I'm walking, finding any passers-by.

5'10, looked about in his forties. He looked homeless, using what looked like a begging bowl as an ashtray. I avoided him and took an alternate route.

5'7. Thirties this time. He wore business attire and sported a briefcase in his right hand, holding his cell phone in the other, texting. I quickly walked by him, and drew as little attention as I could.

A woman about my age (or, should I say, what age I look), holding a baby in one arm and a bag of groceries in the other. She looked lost. Following her were three more children, two girls and a boy. She gave me a small smile despite her fatigue. As if thinking that I was just trying to get by, much like herself.

An older man about in his seventies. His grey hair was in dreadlocks. He sat in a wheelchair, drinking some cheap vodka. He gave me a rather... suggestive look after taking the bottle from his mouth. I walked faster, looking over my shoulder to make sure he wasn't following me.

Another man in his thirties, but this one had his arm around a girl who looked to be at least ten years younger. He whispers something and she laughs. I smile at them as they pass. They smile back.

After I turn the next corner, I finally find someone.

He was quite lean, but still muscular, looked to be in his mid-twenties. Messy pink hair hid his pale face, ending at his jawline and met with the countless tattoos running from his neck down to his left hand.

He was sitting on top of a dumpster, flicking ash from the cigarette he held between his fingers. As he took another smoke from it, I slowed my pacing, walked in a way he'd notice me.

Sure enough, he did.

"Oi! Fifty bucks for the whole night, how 'bout it?"

_Ugh. This disgusts me._

As much as I hated this, I continued to keep up my ruse. I turned toward him and smiled in a way I would guess to describe as "sexy".

I laughed. "Well, well, well. It seems you just rise up to the occasion, don't you?"

He got off of the dumpster, putting out his cigarette. Standing up, he had to be at least six feet tall. As he walked closer I could better see more subtle details. His eyes were such a dark shade of navy it looked almost black.

A thin blue band frayed around his arm. _Hmph. Probably forgot to take it off after he took out the needle_. Oh, well. It gave a sign that there was a low chance of him remembering tonight.

"So," he started, coming up behind me and resting his hands on my waist. "What's it gonna be, hotstuff?"

_My God, I hope this night goes by fast._ _Stupid man._

Still smiling, I put my hands on his. "Tell you what." I rested my head on his shoulder. "Tonight's free."

His hands rose up to my ribs. "Really?" He chuckled.

"Please. I insist." I turned around and put one hand where my head was, my other one on his chest.

I drew out a long sigh. "Something tells me tonight's going to be worth more than money."

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**And there you have it! Fav's, follows and reviews are much appreciated, and be generous with critiques! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Snake

**A/N: Okaaaayyyy, so, I think after this chapter or the next one, I'll probably do some small time skips as I wanna put fetus Crona (figuratively and literally) in this as soon as I can. At the moment, I guess you could say I'm writing one big prologue. Special thanks to the lovely people that followed, faved, and reviewed!**

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We walked arm-in-arm toward the downtown area. Although, I wouldn't have called it downtown. Sure, it was much more populated and civilized than the alleyways I was in earlier, but even then, that wasn't enough. As we continued walking, neon signs for bars and hotels flickered and made buzzing sounds, losing power. The highest buildings were no more than three stories tall.

It wasn't long until we were in front of a small motel. Its white paint peeled in some spots, revealing the concrete walls beneath. Brass railings had lost their luster, windowsills and doors had no ivory shine. We were met with an iron doorknob in desperate need of polishing.

As we walked through the door, a thin layer of dust parted and molded around our footprints. The whole place could have used polishing, really.

"Martinez!" He pulled his arm free and walked over to the front desk.

"Hey, hey, look who it is!" This 'Martinez', whoever he was, walked over to the other side of the desk. "Haven't seen you in forever. Lemme guess, one night, king bed?"

"The usual."

A few bills were slapped onto the desk as Martinez grabbed a key from his pocket. "One-twelve. Don't keep people up too late, if you know what I mean." He winked.

"Yeah, yeah." Once again a sleeve of tattoos was around my waist. "Come on, let's go."

I laugh. "About time."

* * *

We were now in the privacy of our own motel room at the end of the hall. _I just hope this goes by fast,_ I thought.

He cupped my face in his one hand, kissing my lips. His other hand rested on the small of my back.

_Three steps in the room and he's already locking lips with me? Just lovely. _Keeping up my act became challenging in those few minutes.

Then, it dawned on me. Something to make this more... satisfying.

I start experimenting, only starting with small arrows once every few seconds. It seemed that he didn't notice. I upped the size a little. Still nothing.

_Interesting...Very interesting indeed._

I changed the arrows to small snakes. He only pulled me closer. _Is he that blinded by his own lust? _This went on for a long time, and surprisingly, I didn't get any reactions that I was expecting. After a while, I finally decided it was time. I put a snake inside him just big enough to do what I want once I was done with this man. I was a bit taken aback when he pulled away, thinking he'd felt it go down.

"French kissing now, are we?" He laughed.

_Oh, dear God, no. _I sigh internally. I look at a digital clock on the nightstand beside the bed. It's 1:48. _Just keep this up for another few hours... Just think of the baby I'll have in nine months. Think of my future daughter, wearing the Gorgon name with pride on her sleeve. I'll make my sisters jealous. _I smile, but not for the reason he thinks as he guides me to the bed. _Yes, she'll be my greatest creation ever. I'll raise her to be even stronger than me. Just think about that, keep on thinking._

It was thoughts like those that got me through the night. I awoke the next morning and looked at the clock. It was 10: 37. Still tired from last night, I moved quickly but quietly so as not to wake the body beside me, putting my clothes back on and heading out.

* * *

About an hour later, now back in my usual black pantsuit, I entered a local pharmacy just south of Death City. Picking up a small shopping basket in the crook of my arm, I walked to the Women's Health section in the back. I gathered up some extra vitamins, a pregnancy test, and some other necessities before going to the checkout.

"Hi there!" The cashier smiled at me. She was a middle aged woman, some wrinkles starting to show on her face. Her name tag read 'Rosetta.' "Trying for a baby?" She asked, noticing the pregnancy test.

"I already have, actually."

"Really?" Rosetta's eyes lit up as she bagged my things. "In that case, I wish you the best of luck. Is this your first?"

"Yes, it is."

"Well, there's a place just on the corner of Hodson and McDougall, it's a women's pharmacy. Also, if there's any questions you need answered, there's a place on Woodgate that has maternal counselling and support. It's also a daycare on weekdays from nine 'till three."

I was a bit overwhelmed by how much this woman told me. "Thank you. Very much." Not that I'd be needing it, anyway.

"No problem. I was in the same place as you 17 years ago. My little Devi grew up so fast. To think she'll be leaving the house in a few months. Anyway, your total comes to..." She punched in some numbers on the cash register. "35 Deathnotes."

_Thank God, _I thought to myself as I hand over the money. _I was getting tired of your rambling. _I grab the bag and walk out.

"I hope to see you soon!" I heard Rosetta call out after me.

I scoffed. _I don't think you will._

* * *

That night, there was a Witch's Mass. I was walking with a group of other witches toward the ever-growing crowd around the Grandwitch's cross, when suddenly I felt something bump into me. I turned around to see a child, no more than two years old. A little girl, who looked like she had fallen from the impact. She started crying as she slowly got up on short, stubby legs.

I knelt down to her level. "Sweetie? Are you alright?" I put my hands on her shoulders, which seemed to release some of the tension in them. She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face.

"I...I want my mommy... Where's my mommy?"

Standing back up, I extend my hand. "Come, child. Let's find her."

"O..Okay. Thank you." Her small hand latched onto mine and we started walking.

After a while of looking at the sea of faces before us, I stopped. There was a witch with a troubled look on her face, running her fingers through her curly black hair. She turns around on the spot for a while, then quickly walked in the direction opposite of mine.

"Ebony?" She called out. "Ebony, where are you?"

I look down at the little girl. Could she have been Ebony?

She looked at the same witch I did. "Mommy?"

Ebony tugged at my arm. "Mommy! That's my mommy!" She started to run, as fast as her two little legs could carry her. I kept up at a small jog. "Mommy!" Ebony kept calling. However, the distance her mother was from us along with how many other witches were obstacles in our way, proved too great, as she only continued walking without batting an eye.

_This is getting us nowhere, _I thought. I scooped Ebony up in my arms and started running through the crowd until we were out of it. After that I put her back onto the ground and I was back to jogging behind her as she ran to her mother.

"Excuse me! Excuse me, I have your daughter!" I call out. "I have your daughter here!"

"Mommy!" Ebony chimed in.

With that the witch turned around. I saw her sigh and smile in relief. "Ebony!" She started to run also. "Ebony, I've been looking everywhere for you!" In seconds, she had her daughter back in her arms. "Don't ever run off like that again. You had me worried to death, child." She picked Ebony up and walked toward me.

"That's the nice lady who helped me find you, mommy!" Ebony pointed a tiny finger at me.

"Thank you so much!" Her mother said. "I can't thank you enough for finding my little girl! I hope she didn't cause you any trouble..."

"It was no trouble at all, I assure you." I smile.

The woman runs her fingers through her hair once more. "I'm relieved." She walked closer to me.

_Oh, my God._

To my surprise, looking at this woman face to face... It was her. The same woman I saw holding her baby. She was the one who made me decide to have a child of my own. I couldn't believe it. This couldn't be happening. My eyes widen as she hold out her hand.

"I-I'm Ravynne. Ravynne Crowe."

"Medusa Gorgon." We shook hands, and started walking back to Mabaa's cross. There was no denying that we had to be late.

"I want to thank you again, Medusa." Ravynne said as she took off her feathery hat. "Is there anything that I can do for you in return? Anything at all?"

"Well, actually..."

"Yes? What is it?" Ravynne seemed eager.

"I want to thank _you _for something."

"What? What do you mean?"

"You see, about a year back, I saw you at one of the Witch's Masses. You had Ebony with you, in your arms. And I couldn't help but to think... To think about how wonderful it would be to have a daughter of my own. A little witch I could teach my ways to. I often had the dream she'd be even stronger than me. It was quite nice, actually." I saw Ravynne smile. "Last night, I got a man off the street. A heroin addict, smoking on a dumpster. Weakest soul I could find."

"Are you pregnant?" Ravynne asked me.

"I don't know yet." I put a hand on my stomach. "I bought a test earlier today, but haven't used it yet."

"What if you aren't?"

"I already took those precautions. While we kissed, I managed to put one of my snakes inside him. As we speak, I know where he is, what he's doing. If I'm not pregnant, I'll just find him again."

"Impressive. I take it, you're quite a strong witch, aren't you?"

I laughed. "I mustn't get conceited, although I suppose you could say that."

Ravynne put her hat back on her head, lowering the height of her hair. "Well, Medusa, it's an honor to have met you. If you are pregnant, don't hesitate to ask me anything."

"I won't, thank you." I walk faster to reach my place in the crowd. "Joma joma dabarasa."

"Joma joma, dabarasa."

* * *

A week later, here I am, the pregnancy test in hand. A small plus sign is on its screen. I cover my smiling mouth, trying to keep quiet.

I'm laughing for a number of reasons. I won't have to go through that horrible ordeal a week ago. I'm a step closer to raising what will most definitely be my greatest creation. Grandwitch Mabaa herself will be proud. I just know it. _I've been blessed, _I say to myself.

In the midst of my joy, however, I remember something:

_The snake._

I won't need that man anymore. What will I do now, with that snake inside him? From the time I put it in, I had learned his name was André, he was 26 years old, and had been arrested multiple times for various reasons. _Quite an undesirable person, really. With a very weak soul, to boot. Only surviving on the fringes of society, spending his welfare money on drugs and tattoos. Disgusting._

Right now, I can see from the snake that he's at a nightclub, doing shots. _I feel it's time I get rid of him._

With that, I force the snake out, returning it to me.

I laugh once more as I walk out of the bathroom, imagining the carnage taking place. The shocked looks on everyone's faces, screaming as they run out of the building. I can see the investigation that's waiting to go on. They'll most likely label it at 'spontaneous human combustion due to excessive alcohol intake'. They won't suspect a thing. I know how stupid the humans are.

_You've really outdone yourself this time, Medusa._

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**_Second chapter done! Holy crap, this is almost twice the length of the last one. As always, I hope you enjoyed, and Reviews, faves and follows are greatly appreciated! _**

**_Until next time,_**

**_~densekohai_**


	3. Kick

**A/N: So, like I said in chapter 2, there's gonna be a lot of time skips in this chapter, and possibly the next one (Most likely not as much, though). This one was a bit hard to do, I had a lot of writer's block and this week was pretty busy. Anyways, here y'go, chapter 3 everybody!**

* * *

The first few weeks have come along quite well. Ravynne informed me of what foods to eat and avoid, she was there for me the first night I'd heaved into the toilet, and she'd given me some extra vitamins and hormone-regulators she'd found in her cupboards. Needless to say, Ravynne and I have become quite close in the past month.

Right now, I'm lying in my bed, propped up on my pillows with a hot water bottle over my stomach. Ravynne is sitting on a chair beside me. "Take this." She hands me a pill and a glass of water. "It'll help with the nausea."

"Thank you." I dry swallow the pill and take a small sip. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Where does Ebony go when you're here with me?"

"Ah. She's with her grandmother right now." Ravynne starts opening pill containers and lining up capsules on my nightstand. "Right now, she's being taught how to use her transformation magic."

I cock my head. "But she's still so young."

"My mother has her ways of teaching. I started flying when I was six years old. If Ebony's being taught now, chances are in two years, I'll have a little blackbird zipping around my house in no time." Ravynne smiles. "Speaking of which, It's about time she returns home." She gestures toward the pills. "Take them all at night. I'll check in with you tomorrow after your appointment. Now get some rest."

"I will." I say, opening the window. In a puff of smoke, Ravynne transforms and flies out of it.

I inhale deeply, letting the fresh air fill my lungs, holding it until I can't anymore. It feels nice. Turning over on my side, I then take the pillows down and do what Ravynne told me. _I really should get some rest. _

Upon my awakening, I notice that I feel considerably better than before. Not completely better, but well enough to get out of my bed and make some dinner. I boil some water on the stove, putting some instant spaghetti noodles in. I sigh at how much more I have to eat. _As if eating this much more when I'm feeling well wasn't enough. I just had to get a bad stomach. _Nevertheless, I open a can of tomato sauce and soon finish making the meal.

I slowly take bites off of the steaming plate in front of me, trying to be mindful of the small bit of nausea I still have left. Resting my elbow on the table, I put my face in my free hand. _Pregnancy is such a hard thing to deal with, _I think to myself. I've missed 3 Witch's Masses because I was tired, or sick, or couldn't leave the bathroom. On top of all that, God only knows how much weight I'd gained over the past month and a half. Not to mention how much I'll continue to gain.

_But it'll all be worth it in the end._ I take a large bite of the now-room temperature pasta, trying to reassure myself. _It'll all be worth it._

* * *

_"_Your baby is developing quite well, Ms. Gorgon." The nurse picks up a clipboard. "I can't sense its soul wavelength just yet, but it should be there in a few weeks." She pauses. "However, I think I should tell you now that we won't be able to read it until the baby is born."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Reading souls lets us find out things like how strong the soul is, or if it's a witch or human soul. Sometimes even the soul's natural traits and qualities, too."

"Wait." I sit upright in the hospital chair. "You said something about sensing if a soul is a witch's or human's."

"I can tell you now that you have nothing to worry about. I know what you're thinking, Ms. Gorgon."

"And?"

"Being a witch yourself, as well as procreating with a human male whose soul was considerably weaker than yours, you can rest assured that you _will_ have a witch child. Also, depending on how weak this man's soul was compared to yours determines parental resemblance and wavelength type. I'm sure you had this in mind whilst contemplating your pregnancy."

I sigh in relief, settling back down on the hospital chair. "I did, thank you. I was just...making sure."

"That's alright. The first child is always the most stressful. Now, with that, you may return home. I assume you've been taking your pills and eating right. Your baby's health is valid proof of that. All I'll tell you for now is to keep this up. I will be seeing you six weeks from now, then we can confirm its gender as well. Joma joma dabarasa."

"Joma joma dabarasa."

* * *

A few minutes after I return home, Ravynne arrives with Ebony. "Feeling better, I see." Ravynne says to me. "How was the appointment? Did it go well?"

"Well enough." I sit down, gesturing for them to do the same.

"Were they able to sense its soul wavelength?" Ravynne asks, lifting Ebony onto her lap.

"Not yet. I think they said in the next few weeks."

"Ah. That was about the time Ebony had her wavelength. Have you thought of any names yet?"

Names? God, the idea hadn't even crossed my mind. Ravynne did bring up a good point though. I shake my head. "Not even once. I think I'll wait on that for a few months."

"Really? Hmm. I wouldn't have thought you'd be one for putting things off."

"It's not that. Naming is just a long ordeal, and I'm too stressed right now with getting used to being pregnant."

Ravynne smiles. "I know what you mean."

Just then, I feel something moving around my stomach. The shock is enough to make me freeze for a few seconds before returning back to normal. As I blink my eyes a couple times, I see that Ravynne and Ebony both have some concern on their faces.

"Medusa? Is something wrong?"

I still try to process my thoughts as I speak. "I... I think I just felt...a kick."

I see Ravynne's expression turn from worry to sheer joy. She gasps, a huge grin forming on her face as she stands, lifting Ebony on her hip. She laughs a little as she kneels down in front of me. She puts a hand over my abdomen, waiting for another movement. Sure enough, after a few seconds, I feel it too. Then another one. Then _another _one. By this time, the three of us have a hand on my stomach. "It seems like your baby knows we're here." Ravynne tells me. I slowly give a smile.

It was a few minutes before the baby was tired and we couldn't feel anything more. Even little Ebony beams by the time the movement dies down. Ravynne gets up. "It seems like the both of you are doing well, Medusa. I'll come see you again as soon as I can." Walking toward the doorway, she stops and looks over her shoulder. "I almost forgot. Mabaa wanted me to tell you that there's a Witch's Mass coming up a week from tomorrow. Attend to it if you're well enough."

"I'll try to. Thanks."

"Goodbye for now, Medusa." With that, Ravynne and Ebony went.

* * *

Back in the hospital, I'm informed by the nurse that the baby's soul wavelength has began to show. "A bit dry, but it's still there." She sits down in an office chair beside me. "As for gender, it still looks as though the X and Y chromosomes are still fighting for dominance, but this should blow over after a little while. I think it should go without saying that your witch influence greatly maximizes the chances of having a girl."

"That's good." I say.

"You're doing great for your first child, Ms. Gorgon. I'd advise you to not be too stressed over the small things, as you seem to be. Stress can impact not just yours, but your baby's health as well." The nurse grabs her clipboard. "I take it your symptoms have passed?"

"Most of them. I still get waves of nausea on occasion, but other than that I'm fine."

"Good to hear. Come see me again in two weeks this time."

"I will."

* * *

After looking up old witch names and terminology for the longest time, I still can't find anything.

_Should I give her an animal totem? _No, I won't know that until she's born. I'll have to keep it more generic than that. _How do I want my child to be? _I ask myself.

It's an easy question. I want a perfect successor to the Gorgon name. A witch all-too powerful and experienced in her own dark magic.

_Dark magic...Darkness. I might have something there. _

It's not until reading through the third terminology book in my archives that I see something to my liking. It's _Kurona, _Japanese for 'dark one'.

_Maybe if I changed it a little bit, would it would it work? _I try to think. _Crona?_

_Yes, I think that would work._

"Crona..." I say it aloud a few times, testing how it sounded, how it felt speaking it.

Just then, I feel the baby kick and move around for the fourth time that day. It's longer this time. I put my hand over my stomach, smiling.

_Crona it is, then._

* * *

**And it's done! Whew! I think in the next one, I'll finally add baby Crona into this. Hope you all are enjoying this, my lovely readers. Review, Rate, Follow and Fave if you haven't yet! It means a lot. See you next time!**


	4. Wrong

**Welp. Chapter four, Aaaaand it's baby Crona time! But, with that being said, please note that there _is_ a fairly detailled birth scene. So, if you feel awkward or uncomfortable reading things like that, or if you're reading this out in the open with people around, feel free to just skim that part over or skip it entirely. Anyways, hope you enjoy, lovely people!**

* * *

The contractions have started. _What?_ I think to myself, clenching my teeth together to supress the pain. _Why now?_ _I though Crona wasn't__ supposed to be due until another month! _Leaning on walls,I limp to my crystal ball in an attempt to contact Ravynne. Sure enough, her face soon appears in its reflection. As she looks at my face, I can see that she obviously knows what's happening. "How long have you had them?" She asks.

"Only since now." My voice is stifled through my teeth. It sounds crackly and weak.

"Alright." Ravynne runs a hand through her hair. "We've still some time before it becomes urgent. Just sit tight for a while, use some of your magic to ease the pain . I'm going to drop Ebony off at Mother's house, then I'm taking you to get this baby delivered."

"Ravynne, this pain is killing me."

"I know that. I'll try to get to you as fast I can. Stay calm for me. Understood?"

I sigh. "Understood."

"I'll see you soon, then." With that, our conversation ended.

Now that I think about it, I have to hand it to Ravynne, she does keep her word. Within less than half an hour, she's sitting on her broom, at my doorstep. She supports some of my weight as she helps me on. Next thing I know we're in the air. Ravynne's flying through the air as fast as she possibly can. She looks over her shoulder to face me. "How are you doing now?" She asks.

"It's a bit worse than before." My voice sounds clearer now, I'm starting to get the hang of dealing with the pain.

"Seems you've grown some resistance to it for the time being. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm telling you now that it's going to get a lot worse."

"Really? I never would've thought." I scoff, obvious sarcasm in my voice. I hear Ravynne quietly laugh. "I like your attitude, have I told you that?" She asks me.

"I figured." I say, unsmiling.

"Don't worry, we're almost there." We fly faster on her broomstick than I thought possible, nearing the small hospital on the edge of the Witch's Realm. "Hang in there, Medusa."

* * *

So I did. We arrive within a few minutes, and soon enough, I'm helped into a hospital gown and lying across a bed. Ravynne was right in the fact that the contractions indeed got worse. Seconds after I'm placed on the bed, I almost scream from the pain.

"Medusa." Ravynne kneels down beside me. "Don't push yourself too hard. Stay calm." Pausing for a moment, I try to regulate my breathing.

Just then a few nurses enter, one of whom I recognize from earlier appointments with her. She puts a hand on Ravynne's shoulder. "Excuse me, Ms. Crowe." Ravynne turns around. "I appreciate your concern for your friend, but I'll have to ask that you leave the room until Ms Gorgon's baby is delivered. You may come back in after that."

Ravynne is hesitant, but slowly abides, nodding her head. "I leave it to you. I trust Medusa's in good hands." She turns around and disappears into the next room, but not before glancing over her shoulder one last time.

It's just me and the nurses now. After a few minutes another, more intense series of contractions begin. My body is tense as I suck back in air through clenched teeth. Sweat starts to seep away from my forehead.

"Just keep pushing for a bit longer, Medusa. You're doing great!" Says one of the nurses. She's younger than the other two, and seems like she's less experienced as well. _It looks like she doesn't even know what this feels like, _I think to myself. Still, I do what she says. It's the only thing I can do right now, really.

Some time later, one of the nurses leave. I go under the assumption she's getting supplies or something. Now the young nurse and the one who gave me my checkups are left. The first one gasps, putting her red hair behind her ear. "I can see its face!" The other one fixes her filter mask and puts on a pair of rubber gloves.

It's a long time before I'm finally done. Crona starts to cry. I give an exasperated sigh and my head flops onto the bed. I've never been so exhausted in my life. The younger nurse takes Crona to be cleaned off, while the other throws away the disgusting remnants of my womb. After that, she joins the younger nurse. They're speaking quietly to my baby, the crying getting quieter and weaker until it stops altogether.

I sit up, ready to hold my newborn daughter in my arms. I smile. _She's finally here... _I wait patiently, as the nurses are now speaking to each other.

For some odd reason that I couldn't possibly guess, they're huddled close, their glances shifting between Crona and each other. They're whispering, so I can't hear what they're saying. It's a bit uncomfortable, I do admit. I strain my ears to try and catch some of their conversation, but to no avail. I curse under my breath.

Even after a few minutes, they're still talking. My patience has now shrunk down to to almost nothing, suspicion quickly taking its place. _What could they be talking about? Why are they taking so long? _I repeat these questions an endless amount of times in my head until the finally walk back to where I am. Crona is in the younger nurse's arms, bundled so tightly I can only just see a tiny nose poking out. I straighten my back, holding out my arms.

"Ms. Gorgon. We have to talk to you."

I freeze. "Yes, of course. What is it?"

"It's about your baby."

"Crona. Her name is Crona."

"Yes, Crona. Well..." The younger nurse draws in a long breath. "This only happens in the rarest of cases, but..."

"What went wrong?" I ask, a sudden sharpness in my voice. I take a liking to it. "Tell me now. What's wrong with my daughter?"

"I-it's not... not a d-daughter."

My eyes widen. "And?"

"I-it's not male either. We... We don't know... what i-it is..."

"You don't know?" My voice is wavering a bit, but it's still strong. "What do you mean, 'you don't know'? It's either one or the other, is it not? Can't you do a surgery on it or something?"

"I'm afraid not. Both reproductive systems are too developed and intertwined with each other...It'd be nigh impossible."

The other nurse sighs. "Another thing. Again, this is rare... but I'm afraid Crona has... Or, rather doesn't have..."

"Let me see Crona." I hold my arms out. No response.

"I wish to hold my child." I say, almost as an order. The nurse does as I want her to.

I freeze again.

As soon as I see Crona's face.

I see _him._

The pink hair, the thin face, pale skin, even down to the navy-purple eyes, _it's all there. I just gave birth to a constant reminder of an undesirable, disgusting, tattoo-covered drug addict._

_What a waste._

I hold the baby as far away from me as possible."You can take it back now."

The younger nurse takes Crona from me. With my hands now free, I pinch the bridge of my nose. "I take it it's a human, also?"

They both look down. I sigh. "All right then. I am at a loss for words. It's almost laughable, really." I smile as my breath hitches into small hiccups. It's ironic. To think one of the strongest Witch families has a human as its new member.

I laugh one of those slow, deep laughs. But while my mouth is grinning, my eyes tell a different story. I glare daggers as the two nurses. "Tell me. What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"W-well, I suppose we could send it into human foster care... I would hate to just leave it alone..." The younger nurse holds Crona tighter.

"What human would want a dual gendered child? The poor thing would be the laughingstock of Death City." The older nurse turns to me. "We'll step out of the room so you can have some time to think about it."

"Can you have Ravynne come back in, please?" I say. "I'd like to speak with her."

"Sure thing. We'll leave you be."

The two nurses leave with Crona. After a while, as I requested, Ravynne came in. "They told me everything." She says, pulling up a chair beside me. Sighing, she hands me a glass of water. "I figured you'd want something to drink." I do, downing the liquid in seconds. Ravynne takes the glass from me and puts it on a nearby table. "What are you going to do?"

I say the same thing to her as I did the nurses. "What the hell am I _supposed _to do? I can't very well have a human child with me when I go to a Witch's Mass. I can't raise it how I wanted." I sigh. "But I can't just leave it to the wolves." Raising my hand to my head, I massage my temples. "God damned maternal instinct."

"I understand. It's not easy."

"Why did this have to happen to me? I was supposed to have a little girl. I was supposed to have a witch. I was supposed to watch it grow stronger in evil..."

_..._

_That was it._

_To watch it grow stronger in evil. _

_Maybe not necessarily a Witch's type of evil._

"That's it." I say, seemingly out of the blue.

"What's what?"

"To make it grow stronger in evil."

"I'm still not following."

"Ravynne, tell the nurses I'm going to keep the baby.

I mean what I'm saying.

I don't know how just yet. But I'll do it.

_I'm going to make Crona into a Kishin._

* * *

**_And so, the story is under way! Now that I have the beginning part down, I'm thinking these next chapters will be collections of one-shots or vignettes, but will still go in chronological order from Crona's babyhood to the manga/anime canon. I'm still undecided whether or not I should follow the anime or manga, or maybe have it branch out on a different path entirely, but I think I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I hope you guys are liking this story, Review, follow and favourite if you haven't yet! (Chapter four guys. Make up your mind.) Love you all, and I bid you all adieu until next chapter!_**


	5. Book

_**Hey again, guys! So, a lot of these coming chapters will just be drabbles and/or vingettes, as I'm not going to be writing a full story of Medusa raising Crona from babyhood, but rather bits and pieces of it. Also it's going to range from chapters like this where Medusa's forging Crona's future, to things that a mother would inevitably have to do for her child. Also, this is where this fic's title comes in. Experiments, we'll see many, like black blood research. Punishments, the angsty, dramatic and sad moments we all know occurred. And Rewards, yes I'll be writing little drabbles to warm your guys' hearts. Anyways, main point is, coming chapters will vary in length depending on what it is I'm writing about, this one just happened to be short and... well. not so sweet. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

After we leave the hospital with Crona in my arms, I lean in toward Ravynne. "Tell this to no one. I want no witch to find out I birthed a human."

"Yes, of course." She said, but stopped. "Wait. What about all the Witch's Masses? Hallowe'en rituals? I mean, sure, you'll be cut some slack for the first few months, but...You can't leave any child, let alone a human, alone for that long."

"That's why I want to start while it's still young." I look down at Crona, who is now sleeping. "I've already something in mind for you, little one." _It's not at all what I wanted, but I'll do all I can to make you strong. To make you worthy of being a witch's human child._

* * *

As I had said to Ravynne, after Crona was 2 weeks old, I make a children's-style storybook depicting various ways and styles of killing. I make it a habit to read it every night as I put the child to sleep. Again, when it wakes up crying in the wee hours of the morning. "You've nothing to cry about, child," I say, lifting it out of the crib in the corner of the room. "Soon, you'll be strong, you'll have no need to cry, or feel afraid." After setting Crona on my lap, I take _A Simple Story Of Killing People_ from the nightstand beside me, and open the cover.

_"You, are yourself, Crona. You are unique." _Crona's breathing slows, calming down almost immediately after I repeat the phrases on the first page. My fingers gloss over the next page which showed a crudely drawn stick figure holding a sword stuck in another stick figure's head. Small scribbles of blood adorned the page.

_"You can't understand others. Nor will others understand you." _

_"Because, Crona, they are things you must kill. You must erase them from existence." _The next illustration had many other instances of killing, such as dismemberment of every limb, tearing a person in half, et cetera.

With every page, Crona became more calm and closer to sleep.

About 10 minutes later, I'm at the final page. Crona is now sleeping peacefully. I whisper the last sentence quiet enough to keep him sleeping, but loud enough for Crona to hear in their subconscious.

_"It's just A Simple Story Of Killing People." _I then carry the resting infant back over to the crib, setting it in softly. I leave, but not before smoothing down some flyaway pink hairs on its head.

"Make me proud one day, Crona. Now get some rest."

And so this book marks the first step in my plan.

* * *

_**See? Short as can be, not even 500 words. Well, I'd said enough in the beginning author's note. Keep reading, my lovelies. Stay cool!**_


	6. Store

**A/N:**_** so I'm going to try to make this one longer than the last one. I apologize for this EXTREMELY late update, I had a huge production that I had a lead in and was creati**__**ng music for, so I was really busy with that. Also I made the stupid mistake of starting multiple animes (yaaay) and to top it all off, I had to ship my computer to Mississauga for repairs. Now that it's back finally, I can start up again with this. Thanks for your patience, and I can see that people are**_** still**_** reading (and following!) this though it's been idle. Xo's to my lovely people who did that. Alright, without further ado, I bring you chapter 6!**_

* * *

The next morning, I wake up well rested and relaxed, a rare occurrence in these times of being a new mother. I lean into the doorway of Crona's room. The child is still sleeping soundly. With its peaceful face and quiet breaths, I have admit it _is_ kind of cute. But I don't let myself get distracted. I had errands to run today.

I contact Ravynne through crystal-ball. "Good morning, Medusa." She answers. Looking closely at her face I can see her flustered expression and small bags under her unfocused eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she didn't get much sleep the previous night.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

Ravynne sighs. "Ebony's been up all night sick. She's resting now, finally."

After a few seconds of silence she gains alertness and looks up at me. "Is there anything you need?" She gives a halfhearted smile.

"Well, I was going to ask you if you could watch Crona for the day, but it seems you've got too much on your hands right now."

"Yes, thank you." Ravynne runs a hand through her messy curls. "Is there anyone else who'd take them?"

I put my elbow of the table beside me, bringing my hand up to my forehead. "Every witch who sees it might just throw it out on the streets. With the plans I have for Crona, I can't have that happening."

"I see. Where are you going today?"

"I'm just doing some shopping."

"Why don't you just put your Soul Protect on and take Crona with you to a human grocery store?"

That's an idea I hadn't thought about. "I guess that's what I'll do, then."

"Glad I could help." Ravynne looks back over her shoulder. " I think Ebony's waking up. I'll talk to you soon!"

Before I could say goodbye, Ravynne's face disappeared from the crystal-ball's surface.

I walk back down the hall to Crona's room. The child is awake now, its dark eyes slowly looking around the room._ How long has it been up? _I think to myself. It hadn't cried much since a couple weeks after I started reading to it. It just looked at me with sad eyes or made small sounds, indicating it wanted something. At times I had questioned whether this was a good thing or a bad one. Over time I stopped worrying about it and just wrote it off that Crona was simply a quiet baby.

I lift Crona out of the crib, and after feeding, dressing and changing it, we walk out the door.

* * *

I grab a shopping cart, putting Crona in the space at the front, and start heading down the first aisle. Looking to my left, I see another mother, however her child is flailing and screaming for the whole store to hear. After some time, even Crona is visibly annoyed, it's face as stern as a baby's could be, navy-purple eyes fixed on the red-cheeked source of the noise. Finding nothing I need, I quickly leave the aisle and head to the next.

Looking back at the child in front of me, it seemed Crona was relieved to be away from it. Sure enough, it went back to its normal state, slowly looking around its various surroundings. Unfortunately, it isn't long until we're disrupted again.

"Oh my goodness, look at you!"

I turn around. Beside my cart, there's a middle aged woman with a smile on her face so wide it could fall off. Nevertheless, I don't want to come off as a rude mother, so I put on an act and turn around. "Are you talking about my baby?" Painfully, I force out a giggle.

"I sure am!" The woman smiles at me. "How old is he?"

"Two months tomorrow," I say, not caring that she put a gender on it. "Time does go by fast."

The woman lets out a dramatically drawn-out sigh. "Tell me about it! My youngest is graduating high school this year. Be glad for the time that you've got with this one." She looks toward Crona, and starts talking to it in generic baby-talk. Inside my head, I feel glad that I'll never speak like that. I couldn't imagine my own voice being as high pitched and repetitive as that. Disgusting.

"What's your baby's name?"

"It's Crona." I answer curtly.

"Hmm. Haven't heard that one before. Is it okay if I hold him? He won't cry or anything?"

I pause for a second. _Should I let her? I don't want her to. What makes her think she can just ask these questions within mere minutes of meeting me? So pushy. I don't want Crona being in the arms of anyone except for me or Ravynne._

_Then again, I can't just shoo her off and leave, can I? To just say "No, you can't" and just walk off? Then again, I can just lie and say that __Crona will cry?" Still, this woman seems so insistent. Should I just let her and get it over with?_

I decide on letting her. _It will do best for my act, _I conclude. The woman smiled that oversized smile as she lifted Crona out of the cart, greeting it by name. It was then I'd noticed that the child hadn't been paying attention throughout the whole conversation that just passed. Its eyes grew wide and stared directly at the woman, then back at me, a small whimper escaping its throat. Then back again at the woman. I couldn't tell If Crona had the expression it gave when a normal baby would cry, or just the natural slant in its eyes. The woman had only been holding it for mere seconds, but it was too late to change my decision and walk off.

"Would you just look at those eyes!" She was ecstatic. "So big, and such a dark color..."

"They're something aren't they?" By something, I mean the only way I can read the child's emotions. They still hadn't changed from the time Crona was first taken for the cart.

She sighed. "The father must love him, huh?"

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

"Having his son looking exactly like him? Almost like a little clone, don't you think?" She lets out a giggle. Not a forced one like I did earlier. She _actually _found what she said _amusing_.

_Oh, please, _I think to myself, _please don't bring the father into this. _"A-Actually... I'm a single mother."

Her expression changed to pure sympathy. "Oh, I'm so sorry! God rest his soul. I never should have brought it up." She brought Crona closer to her, patting its back as if she was trying to make it burp.

"No, it's not like that. He didn't die. He just left while I was pregnant."

"This must be so hard for you..."

"It's fine. I'm managing quite well, actually. A close friend of mine was pregnant three years ago, so she's been helping me with the whole 'first time mother' thing, you know?" Another forced laugh.

"Well, I'm glad this child's being raised by a strong woman like- Oh!"

The woman gasped, quickly pulling Crona away from her. White liquid dribbles onto its chin. Another small amount of it erupts from Crona's mouth and onto its navy onezie.

_Hmph. She deserved it. _I inwardly smile, though my voice tells a different story. "I am so sorry..."

"It's... Okay." She sucks in air through her teeth. It sounds like she's trying hard not to just throw a baby on the hard tile floor. "Its been a long time...since I had _this_...happen to me."

I suspected Crona sensed her anger. The child starts breathing irregularly, and soon after makes small sounds of distress. Really, I'd describe it as the closest thing to crying it has ever did. Looking to the diaper-bag I had put in my cart (which had no groceries in it as of yet), I take out an old blanket from it and wrap Crona up before taking it into my arms. I barely get enough time to wipe Crona's face before it latches onto me and buries its face in my neck.

"Again, I apologi-" I cut off my words as the woman grabs her cart and storms off. I found it quite amusing to see the patch of spit-up on her back.

_Stupid bitch. _I laugh quietly, adjusting Crona's weight to my hip.

Still, I feel I've had enough for today. _To hell with groceries, _I think to myself. Making sure I'm not seen, I put my cart back where I found it. After that, I try my best to find my way out of the sea of people entering.

_I need to get out of here as soon as possible._

After ignoring various charity pleas, turning my back towards free sample stands, stepping around an old man picking up his dropped peaches, and hiding behind an enormous crowd watching a presentation of a _chicken roaster, _I finally make my way to the exit on the other side of the store. Not once in my life had I ever wanted to go home as bad as I want to right now. I begin to slowly sneak out, when I hear a voice behind me:

"Hey, your daughter's really cute!"

_Not this again._

I make a bitter face, pretending I hadn't heard whoever it was and continue out the exit doors.

* * *

An hour after I arrive back home, clean Crona off, change its clothes and put it to sleep, my crystal-ball starts to glow. Answering it, Ravynne's face appears in its reflection.

"Just wanted to let you know that Ebony's feeling better now," Ravynne smiles, "and I'm free to take Crona whenever you like."

"Thanks."

"How was your shopping trip?"

I give an exasperated sigh.

_"Remind me never to go grocery-shopping with a baby in a place full of humans ever again."_

* * *

**_So again I apologize greatly for the long wait. I tried to make this chapter a longer one to compensate, and I'll be updating soon as well. School is almost out, so I'll have more time to write. Also, in the next coming chapters, I'll introduce Medusa's research on the Black Blood and hopefully soon I'll bring ol' Rags into this thing too. _**

**_Until next time, lovely people!_**


	7. Teachings

_**Welp. Hey everyone. **_

_**Just to let you know what's happening on my end, Kohai here just graduated. School's now out and I am crying. I've probably had the best couple years of my life end. It's been a wild ride with awesomeness and cool people all the way through. Now to move on. Ehh. I don't want to grow up. Anyways, I tried to make this chapter more story-driven and not a filler. Hope you guys like. Now with summer rolling in, I can write more often. And you know what that means.**_

* * *

Crona is two years old now. By this time, it's started walking, talking, and to my surprise, its intelligence and thought process has improved immensely. Knowing I'd have to start early with Crona on its path to becoming a Kishin, I decide to take advantage of this and teach it an extended vocabulary, with a little bit of basic arithmetic thrown in. Sooner than later, its brain has the capacity and ability of a normal seven year old. The one thing I'd decided to leave alone is Crona's reasoning skills. I can't very well have it finding out the generic difference of 'right' and 'wrong' if I want to forge its beliefs myself.

Knowing that I could take a small break in teaching it, I decide to instill a couple little _rules _in Crona.

I call it over to me. "Crona," I say in the most loving way I could muster, "Would you come over to me for a minute?"

"Coming." It slowly replies, tripping over the word as it does its feet as it walks over to me.

I outstretch my arms, letting him stumble into my embrace. "Very good, my child." It looks up at me as I run my fingers through its thin hair.

"Are you going to teach me more?"

"No, Crona. Not today."

"Why?"

"Because I've already taught you most of what you need to know for now." It cocks it head to the side, silently asking why once again. I decide to pick up on this and answer. "There will be more to come in a few weeks. But with that being said, I still have some..._ rules_."

"O...Ok."

"Now, you have to listen closely to these rules, do you hear me?" My tone shifts to a more serious one.

"Yes."

"You must always follow them, no matter what. No exceptions. Alright?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. Now, here are the rules." I cup my hand under Crona's chin, making it look up at my eyes.

"First rule: _You will speak only when spoken to. _I will decide if you must have my attention. Do you understand so far?"

"Yes."

"Second rule: _When spoken to, you must always listen." _I tighten the hand on Crona's chin ever-so-slightly. "_Always."_

Crona nods.

"Last rule: Now, this one is the most important rule. You must never, _ever, _break this rule, do you hear me?" As I speak, I bring Crona closer.

"Yes."

"Do you promise not to break it, no matter what?"

"I-I promise." Crona's eyes are wide, earnest. _Obedient._

"The last rule: _Whatever I say to you, you must never, under any circumstance, say **no****.** _Whatever I ask you, you will obey me. Whatever I tell you to do, you will do it. Are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Good. Any questions?"

Crona pauses for a moment, making small sounds and the occasional "um".

"What happens...if...if I break the rules?"

I loosen my grip on the child, pick it up, and hold it close. "I don't think I'll say."

"Huh!?" Crona gasps. "W-Why?"

"Simple, child. You've already promised to never break the rules, so why should I say what will happen if you don't? Why would you ask if you've already promised not to?"

"I don't know..." Crona sighs. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright."

"Okay." Crona slowly wraps its arms around my neck, burying its face in my chest. Quietly, I laugh.

As slowly as the child had hugged me, it lifts its head, looking at me strangely. "What is it, Crona?" I ask.

"Why were you laughing?"

I smile.

"I'm just happy to know I have such an obedient child like you."

* * *

A few weeks have passed since I instilled those three rules in Crona. Recently I've started teaching it about vital organs in the body. Surprisingly, I've also taken a bit of interest in human anatomy and the sciences relating to the subject. Over this period of time, I've acquired a few books and have been reading them regularly. I'm not sure why I find it fascinating. I guess I'll have to know some advanced human health if I am to be raising one. It's definitely not a witch, so it can't heal itself with magic. I'm not sure if its body will even respond to magic.

Oh well. All the more reason to study up. I sit down on the sofa and open up my book.

I was reading a passage about hemoglobins and blood disorders when I look up from the page, hearing something I hadn't in a long time.

Crona was crying.

My book is closed. I'm just about to stand up when Crona walks out of the hallway, clutching its left wrist in front of itself. The crimson-covered hand attached to said wrist is dripping onto the floor, leaving a trail.

"What happened, child?" I say soothingly, kneeling down to Crona's height.

"I fell." Crona sniffs. "And I cut my hand on the door latch."

I stand back up and grab the hand that isn't cut. "Come on then. Let's get you cleaned up." I lead Crona to the bathroom. After sitting it down on the closed toilet, I grab a washcloth and dampen it. "Where were you when you fell?"

"The dark room..." Crona says softly, eyes slowly drifting downward.

The dark room? The one at the end of the hall with the heavy, snake-patterned door? It had to be. It's the only room that's always pitch black, even during the daytime.

I take Crona's bloodied hand and press the damp washcloth to it. "What on earth were you doing in there?"

The child is giving out choppy, hiccuped breaths now. "I don't know... I never went in there...before...but I got scared. So I tried to run out...but I fell."

I sigh. "You mustn't do such things like that, Crona." I switch the now blood-soaked washcloth for a new one. Now I can see the cut on Crona's hand, stretching from the right heel to the skin between its index and middle finger. However as long as the cut was, it wasn't that deep. _How could it sill be bleeding? _This question sticks in my head as I grab a third washcloth, putting the second one with the first in a red-tinted pool of water in the sink. Eventually I opt for gauze bandages and dressings instead.

"Why is there so much blood?" I ask out loud. Looking up to Crona, I see that it's not crying anymore, but it's breathing is still a little off.

_Funny, _I say to myself. _I'm reading about blood disorders and this happens. _

_Wait. _

Thinking back to the passage I was reading before, I remember something.

'_Hemophilia*****, a disease in which the ability for blood to clot is reduced, making the sufferer bleed severely from even a slight injury.'_

_Could it be? How long has Crona been bleeding? _After adding more dressings, I put pressure onto the bandaged wound. _It must be._

_Either I'm going to have to teach Crona to never get hurt at all or I'll have to do something about this blood._

* * *

Over the course of a long time, the bleeding had stopped. At this time, I've put Crona to bed. I continue to read my book, now elaborating on the essential factors of blood and its circulation through the body. I was getting to a part where it talked about transfusions and replacements when I hear footsteps coming from the hall.

"Crona?" I call out. "Is that you?"

Sullenly, it walks out, with more sobs left over from a few hours ago.

_Did it save up two years' worth of tears to let them all out today? _Not minding my internal questioning, I ask what the matter is.

"I had a scary dream."

"Do you remember what it was about so you can tell me?"

Silence. I took it as a no, but based on my rules I had guessed it had been to scared to say the word.

"I take it you don't remember, then?"

More silence. Another question that would've been answered with a 'no'.

_Great, I've got a child that's both diseased and scared witless. _

I sigh. "Come here." Crona walks over and lays down beside me, its head in my lap. "You're safe now. I promise you."

Crona nods.

"Do you know what else I promise you?"

"Wh-what?"

"_I promise that I can make you stronger. _I don't know when, or how just yet, but I will do my best. If you follow your rules and do as I say, _I promise I'll find a way __to give you power."_

* * *

_**So, unfortunately, this chapter isn't as long as I would have liked it to be. (Not a lot of my chapters are, though. Lol.) But since this is my first fanfiction, I wanna take baby steps. I have a rough-but-not outline of what I want to make happen in the story, and I try to just usually have one main idea per chapter. Next chapter I'll be delving more into the black blood and after that I'll be putting Ragnarok into the story.**_

_***So, I thought this could be a reason why Medusa wanted to use blood of all things to amplify Crona's madness. Usually it's passed from mother-to-child, but in 30% of cases it's just a weird genetic mutation, so it's still possible, and that's what Crona got in this little headcanon. Hemophilia is a rare disease and it's really terrible and a pain in the neck. I once knew someone that had it, and since I'm not a squeamish person I usually helped him whenever he got a cut or something. And it's not fun. Also, yes I am aware that hemophilia sounds like you have a weird sexual affinity for something but I promise it's not.**_

_**Welp, that's all for me right now. Hope you guys are enjoying this so far!**_


	8. Blood

_**How's it goin' folks? Kohai here, bringing you a new chapter. Not much going on over on my end, but Canada day just passed. Y-Eh Canada. (come on, I think that pun's pretty good.). Happy Fourth Of July to all you 'Muricans reading this too. Didn't see any fireworks though. Was in Prescott (small town near the US border) with my best friend and it was extremely stormy. The power went out a few times and I kinda ended up drawing Professor Stein, Sebastian Michaelis and Shuichi Aizawa around a campfire singing the blood song from My Chemical Romance. Yayyyy... Welp. Also, since I'm kinda in that "Hey, wanna see my shoddy creative process?" kind of mood I'm gonna have a little bonus on the bottom and tell you all how I write and what I do while I write. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Also, should I put a cover image on this? **_

* * *

Within a few weeks I'm experimenting.

One night while Crona is asleep, I find a Kishin on the verge and take its soul. Keeping it with me, I take the disembodied soul back to my home. Using a syringe among many I'd gotten from the hospital (by lying and saying I'd wanted to pursue nursing) I start extracting the essence of the madness wavelengths. As I'm doing this, the mix of dark reds and pinks that it had grew lighter, filling the syringe with a deep black. I stop extracting it once the thick liquid reaches halfway, transferring it into a test tube.

The madness alone will never suffice as blood, of course. Figuring that my own child's blood must be the same type as mine (and after further checking, I'm correct), I take another syringe and extract some from myself. Filling the syringe completely, I put it into the test tube along with the Kishin's wavelengths. to my surprise, my blood had nearly been taken over by it, still maintaining the jet black color.

I soon conclude the ratio of blood to madness essence, calculating for every half-syringe of madness, 3 full ones of my blood are needed to absorb it and still maintain its purpose as blood. However, after about four rounds of it I decide to retire for the night, feeling a bit sluggish after losing the amount of blood that I did in the short amount of time it took.

After asking Ravynne to watch Crona the next day and naming my little concoction the most obvious thing I could name it, I leave the Black Blood to continue working when the sun comes up in the morning.

* * *

It takes me a few hours before I'm able to make a few pints. Wearily, I clean off the syringes and test tubes, being mindful of all the blood I'd lost. After taking Crona back home, I contemplate whether or not I should just inject some in it as a test. _It's a good first step. I'll see how it works. _Looking at Crona, I can see that it's quite tired, unfocused. I scoop up the child in my arms and carry it to my makeshift lab. Really, it's an old and empty room with candles faded witch tomes on the walls, with a long table and a shelf with tubes and syringes, along with the sacks of the Black Blood.

Crona yawns. "Where is this?"

"Don't worry about it. You're tired, aren't you?"

It nods.

"Then get some rest." I take a hand and stroke its cheek. "Close your eyes. I'm right here." I summon a small sleeping spell, chanting the words "_nake, snake, cobra, cobra" _under my breath.

"Sleep well, child."

With that, I start the process. After swabbing alcohol on the skin over Crona's vein, I take a syringe, a catheter and one pint of the Black Blood. For now, I'm only injecting in into Crona's blood, rather than giving a full transfusion. I'll let this amount settle in first before I do anything else.

As I stick the needle in, Crona's body twitches, however the child is still unconscious. I can see obvious discomfort in it as the Black Blood is slowly being injected. Some effects of the madness included hitched breathing, muscle spasms, and small episodes of motor tics, (A/N: Kinda like as you'd see in someone who has Tourette's.) all of which occurring whilst Crona was sleeping.

It's not until a few hours after the injection is done that Crona starts waking up. It starts breathing heavily, tossing and turning. Slowly its small form begins to tense and curl into a ball, shaking.

With a jolt, its eyes open along with its mouth, which erupts an ear-splitting scream before giving out large sobs. In a split-second I'm there, holding Crona's shaking body. I stay silent through the whole ordeal of the child loosening and tightening its grip on me, pulling its own hair out of its head, pounding its tiny fists on my back, yelling things like "Get out!" or "Go away!".

After an hour, the yelling and hitting come to a stop. When it has enough strength and breath to speak normally, it asks me something: "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, Crona. It's alright."

"But the voices... A-And the eye-"

"What you're hearing and seeing right now will help you."

"T-They're scaring me."

"Maybe right now, they are. But you don't have to be scared. Once you overcome this fear of yours, accept it as part of you, it can make you stronger. And you know how much I want to see you become stronger, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then there's no reason to be afraid, Crona."

"Yes, um... uh..."

"What is it?"

"Well... um... I'm sorry for asking this but... um... What do I call you? I-I mean, you're my mother but... I just don't know..."

_God damn. The child's never had the need to address me as anything before, has it? I shouldn't let it call me by any maternal names, that might make me attached to it. It might get too attached to me. A Kishin can't have any attachments. I want it to respect me, though. I want to have its loyalty and devotion always._

"You will address me as Lady Medusa from now on. Are we clear?"

Crona nods.

"I can't hear you."

"Yes, Lady Medusa." The child barely whispers.

"Louder."

"Yes, Lady Medusa!" Crona looks up at my eyes.

I cup its face in my hands, kissing its forehead. "Very well done, Crona." I say, smiling.

_There's surely much more to come in the future._

* * *

**_Yeah, Yeah... I know. This one isn't as long as everybody wants it to be. Including me. Heheh. But along with trying, I have a life and writers block. (Yayyyyyyyy...) But hey. You guys are still reading and (hopefully!) enjoying this too, and that makes me so happy. I'm talking to all 1500+ of you. Love you. So, I'm gonna give you a little taste of how Kohai here does things 'round here. Hope you enjoy this little bonus note._**

**_KOHAI TIP #1: MOOD IS IMPORTANT._**

**_ok, I can't stress this enough. If you have serious writer's block, don't push yourself to do a whole chapter in two days. A paragraph or two would be good, or a dialogue scene. Hell, do a filler chapter if you're that desparate to update. But never settle for less that your best. Don't just poop out a half-assed chapter._**

**_KOHAI TIP #2: ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN ONE TAB OPEN._**

**_When I write, I have three tabs open:_**

**_1-Fanfiction (duh.)_**

**_2- YouTube. I currently have a writing playlist with 24 songs/ambience tracks. All instrumental. Try to avoid things with lyrics unless you've wrote a song specifically for the fic you're writing. Ive got a lot of creepy and ambient stuff in my playlist right now, and I always listen to music when I write._**

**_3-Soul Eater Wiki/Wikipedia (depending on what I'm writing about.) Dear God, research your info. In the little scene where I have Medusa talking to Crona about how they shouldn't be afraid of their hallucinations/madness is because the main purpose of the Black Blood is to erase all fear in its users. Had I not know that, I don't know what I'd have written. Of course for a small child of two years old experiencing this for the first time, things are gonna be a bit bumpy at the start. But I'll tell you right now, that's all gonna disappear QUICKLY. (However that also may or may not be because of a certain demon weapon we all know so well...) I've got big things in mind for Crona's madness in their early years. Also, I've used Wikipedia for things about Hemophilia in the last chapter, blood transfusions (I didn't even know what a catheter was...), and probably a few other things in the future. KNOW WHAT YOURE WRITING ABOUT. I've seen some pretty unrealistic fics in my time. You dont wanna be one that writes one. With that being said, however, if I missed or miswrote something, please tell me and I'll fix it._**

**_There you go. 2 little tips for ya, if you've kept your patience with me. I'll probably insert other little tips in the future if I feel like it. Until next chapter, lovely people! R&amp;R!_**


	9. Note From The Author

_**A/N: Hey. Kohai here. I just wanna say I'm sorry, and I know you guys have been expecting alot from me. I have decided that this story will go on a hiatus. I'm not sure how long, but things have just been really busy for me, and I know I said I'd write more in the summer, but I just haven't have the time, and if I'd had the time, I didn't have the motivation. **_

_**But! Still have hope, dear readers. I am NOT giving up on this story. I have plans for what I want in the coming chapters, but right now my mind is more focused on other things and I'm not really sure at the moment how to expand these ideas into full-length chapters. In the meantime, I'm thinking of writing a small little oneshot for the anime Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler. If you haven't seen it, I highly reccommend it. **_

_**Again remember: I'm not abandoning this story or you guys, for that matter. I think I just need to give myself some time for inspiration. My mind isn't focused on what I want it to right now and I'm gonna try to find a way to bring it back.**_

**_That's all for now and I hope to still have you guys on my journey of Fanfiction. Love you all._**


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